Apparatus pcs charging electric lamps with gas



(No Model.) 2Sheets-Shee't 1 I T. B. STILLMAN. Apparatus for Charging Electric Lamps with Gas.

No. 227,454. Patented May H, 1880 MT/QES-SES. v fivvavrofi.

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N'FEIERS, PMOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

(No Model.)

I 2 Sheets- 8mm; 2-. T. B. STILLMAN. Apparatus for Charging Electric Lamps with Gas.

No. 227,454. .P ate nted May 11,1880.

WITNESSES.

4y W15. a MW 72%? @QZZME Nirnn Sterne THOMAS B. STILLMAN, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,454, dated May 11, 1880.

Application filed March 25, 1880.

. To all whom it may concern:

- Processes for Charging Electric Lamps with Nitrogen Gas; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to displace with nitrogen, in a practical and economical manner, the air originally contained in the sealed globes of electric lamps operating by the principle of incandescence In other applications I have described and claimed my methods of preparing the nitrogen.

Referring to the drawings accompanying and constituting a part of this specification, Figure 1 shows the nitrogen-regulator and its connection with the lamp to be charged; and Fig. 2 shows the manner in which many lamps to be simultaneously charged are connected with the regulators, the purifying apparatus, and the nitrogen-receivers.

A, Fig. 1, is any suitable base or bench. B is a thin piece of wood provided with an opening, E, (in which the lamp F is supported,) and secured to the base by bent metal strips 0 O and screws D D D D. G is a tube just entering through the base F of thelamp, (which is inverted and H is a second tube passing v through the base and reaching nearly or quite to the top of the lamp-globe.

The nitrogen, flowing by way of the flexible tube 1, passes through G and dilutes and displaces the air, exit being obtained by way of H and flexible tube I. I

The rapidity of the flow of gas is controlled by the pneumatic regulator, which consists of .a glass vessel, J, containing water or other liquid 15, and closed by a rubber stopper, 0.

Through this stopper pass three tubes, L M N.

The gas coming from the lamp passes downward through the tube M and upward through 'the water K, and outward through the tube N and'flexible tube I. The gas being forced 50 into the lamp by way of tube G at a certain (No model.)

pressure, it is obvious that by increasing or decreasing the height of the column of water .K the how may be regulated to any desired degree,from an infinitesimal quantity to many gallons per minute.

To increase the height of the column water is poured into the funnel-tube L 5 to decrease the height recourse is had to the stop-cock Q in communicating-tube P. The volume of gas flowing in a given time may readily be ascertained by attaching the escape-tube I to a rubber bag or a bladder of known capacity.

Referring now to Fig. 2, R is a tank, open at the top, in which a second inverted tank, S, moves freely, T being water or other liquid, the whole constituting an ordinary pneumatic gasometer. R S T constitute a similar gasometcr.

Each of the receivers of gas, S and S, is provided with two openings. The opening V of receiver S is connected with the openingY of receiver S by means of flexible tubes which meet at the stop-cock X. When the nitrogen is flowing from receiver S through the lamps the stop-cock X is closed. The nitrogen 'contained in the receiver S is not pure; hence, before entering the lamps, it is purified, as set forth in another application.

WV represents the purifying apparatus. The gas passing from the receiver by way of stopcock U and a flexible tube to the opening WV of purifier W, goes, by way of the doublebranch tube W and stop-cocks W and W, to and into the lamps. The tube W may have as manybranches as desired,the number of branches depending upon the number of lamps to be simultaneously charged, as to put a large number of lamps in seriesis to present great friction, and thus retard the flow of gas by reason of the necessarily small size of the tubes G H. The current of nitrogen, branchlamps F, as shown, entering the first lamp of each series at G, and leaving at H, to ente the next lamp at G, and so on, finally entering the regulator at M. The value of the regulator here is incalculable, inasmuch as one se-- mg at W, flows through the two series of described, the resistance to the flow is made whatever may be desired, and hence the flow in one series may readily be made exactly equal to the flow in the other series. Leaving the regulator by way of tubes N N and flexible tubes I I, the nitrogen enters receiver S by way of branched opening Z and the two stop-cocks Z Z. By means of these stopcocks and stop-cocks W and .W the flow may be instantly confined to either one of the series of lamps, at the will of the operator.

The value of m )rocess of char in lam )s l a is with nitrogen will now be apparent.

- Heretofore, in charging a lamp to the requisite degree of purity, it has been necessary to run through it as many as ten gallons of the gas, which has been allowed to escape and waste by way of the exit-tube H.

In my new arrangement, supposing there. are eighty lamps to be charged,each having a capacity of one pint and each containing? twenty per cent. of oxygen, I pass through the lamps ten gallons of nitrogen, whereby, owin g to the dilution of the air originally contained, the proportion of oxygen is reduced to ten per cent. and then I pass through the lamps ten gallons more, whereby the .propor- 1 tion of oxygen is reduced to five per cent, these twenty gallons being allowed to waste.

I then connect the final escape-tube H with the tube M of the regulator, and thus direct the flowing gas into the receiver S. The wasteof nitrogen is thus reduced from eight 1 hundred to twenty gallons in charging eighty lamps.

When the receiver S is exhausted .and receiver S has become full of gas the stop-cocks U, VV, W, Z, and Z" are closed and the stop-cock X is opened, and the gas in receiver S forced hack to receiver S, when stop-cock X is closed and all the others are opened, and the gas again flows through the purifying apparatusW and the lamps.

The stop-cocks W W may be dispensed with, if desired; loutI have found it useful to .retain' them as a'safeguard against an accidental-diminution of the pressure in thezlamps,

and the consequent forcing-back into the last lamp in a series of the water in the regulator by way of tube M, on accountof the pressure above the water in the regulator.

I would remark that the regulator need not with nitrogen gas, the combination, with an electric lamp, of purifying apparatus and two receivers of gas, the method of operating being to first pass the gas from one receiver through the purifying apparatus and the lamp and into the second receiver. and then from the second receiver to pass the gas directly into thefirst receiver without its going through the lamp, and so on indefinitely, as set forth. 1

2. The-herein-described apparatus for charging electric lamps with nitrogen gas, consisting of two receivers of gas directly connected with each other by a tube provided with a stopcook, a purifying apparatus connected with one receiver, and from which the gas passes into the lamp or lamps to be charged, and a connection from the lamp or lamps to the second receiver, whereby the gas passing through the lamp or lamps is collected in the second receiver, the circuit of the purifying apparatus being provided with one or more stop-cocks.

3. The herein-described apparatus for charging electric lamps with nitrogen gas, consisting-of two receivers of gas directly connected with each other by a tube provided witha stopcock, a purifying apparatus connected with one receiver, and from which the gas passes into the lamp or lamps to be charged, apneumatic regulator of the flow of gas through'the 1 y l 0 ond receiver, whereby the gas passing through f v lamp or lamps, and a connection with the secthe lamp or lamps is collected in the second receiver, the circuit of the purifying apparatus, 7

lamp or lamps, and pneumaticregulator-being provided u .ath one or more stop-cocks.-

4. In apparatus for charging electric lamps with nitrogen gas, the combination of itWO or more series of lamps supplied with gas from a single source, and a regulator ofthe flow of the gas through each of such series as-an'd for the .purpose specified.

THOMAS BLISS STILLMAN.

Witnesses:

Gr. 0. THATOHER, BOB'I. STREET. 

